Piano Sonata No. 16 (Mozart)
| Piano Sonata in C major | |
|---|---|
| No. 16 | |
| by W. A. Mozart | |
The beginning
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| Other name | Sonata facile |
| Key | C major |
| Catalogue | K. 545 |
| Style | Classical period |
| Composed | 1788 |
| Published | 1805 |
| Movements | Three (Allegro, Andante, Rondo) |
The Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K. 545, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was described by Mozart himself in his own thematic catalogue as "for beginners", and it is sometimes known by the nickname Sonata facile or Sonata semplice.
Mozart added the work to his catalogue on June 26, 1788, the same date as his Symphony No. 39. The exact circumstances of the work's composition are not known, however. Although the piece is well-known today, it was not published in Mozart's lifetime and first appeared in print in 1805. A typical performance takes about 14 minutes.
The work has three movements:
The first movement is written in sonata form and is in the key of C major. The familiar opening theme is accompanied by an Alberti bass, played in the left hand.
A bridge passage composed of scales follows, arriving at a cadence in G major, the key in which the second theme is then played. A codetta follows to conclude the exposition, then the exposition is repeated. The development starts in G minor and modulates through several keys. The recapitulation begins, unusually, in the subdominant key of F major. According to Charles Rosen, the practice of beginning a recapitulation in the subdominant was "rare at the time [the sonata] was written", though the practice was later taken up by Franz Schubert.
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